New PA Voter ID Law

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When you go to cast your vote in November, make sure you have a photo ID with you.

A new law in Pennsylvania requires all voters to show a valid photo ID before casting a ballot. If you don't, you won't be allowed to vote.

"It does make it a little easier for poll workers to find people's names," said Sara May-Silfee, the Monroe County Director of Elections and Voter Registration.

She said the reason for the new Voter ID Law is to prevent voter fraud.

By the November election, you must present a photo ID when you show up to vote. Poll workers will test the new procedure during the April primary.

"We're asking for ID. If they don`t have a form of photo ID, that is acceptable, we are giving them a pamphlet telling them in November they need ID to vote," said May-Silfee.

Some examples of acceptable photo IDs include a Pennsylvania driver's license, U.S. passport, U.S. military ID, employee photo identification issued by federal, Pennsylvania, or a Pennsylvania county or municipal government, an accredited Pennsylvania public or private institution of higher learning or a photo ID issued by a Pennsylvania care facility.

If you don`t have any photo identification, you can get a free photo ID card from PennDOT by visiting a PennDOT Driver's License Center. Make sure you bring your Social Security card and one of the following: certificate of U.S. citizenship, certificate of naturalization, valid U.S. passport, birth certificate with a raised seal plus two proofs of residency, such as a lease agreement, current utility bills, mortgage documents, W-2 form or tax records.

If you get your photo ID from PennDOT, May-Silfee said, it will look like a driver's license.

"I have no problem with it personally. If it keeps everything on the straight and narrow, it's fine," said Barry Moyer of Snydersville.

"I'm suspicious of it. I think it deters the average person from voting," said Mike Kelly of Swiftwater.

"I think it makes sense. I mean, you do show ID for the littlest things. You go to the movie theater, you have to show photo ID. I think it's crucial to verify who you are," said Lianna DeLuise of Stroudsburg.